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Ildemaro Vargas Opts Out Of Minor League Deal With D-backs

By Steve Adams | May 27, 2025 at 9:34am CDT

Veteran utilityman Ildemaro Vargas triggered an opt-out in his minor league deal with the Diamondbacks and has been granted his release, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Arizona could have added him to the 40-man roster to retain him but have instead granted Vargas his release. He’s now a free agent.

The 33-year-old Vargas has appeared in parts of eight major league seasons and carries a lifetime .246/.289/.354 batting line in 1192 plate appearances split between the D-backs, Twins, Cubs, Pirates and Nationals. Arizona gave Vargas his major league debut back in 2017, and saw big league action with the Snakes in each subsequent season up through 2021. His return to the organization won’t culminate in a big league appearance this time around (barring a re-signing and some injuries that create a need at Chase Field).

Vargas has continued to showcase terrific bat-to-ball skills in Triple-A this year, fanning in only 9.5% of his 221 plate appearances. In 49 games with Reno, he’s batting .261/.330/.397 (78 wRC+) with five home runs, eight doubles, a pair of triples, four steals (in five tries) and an 8.6% walk rate. The versatile defender has seen time at second base, shortstop and third base this year — his three primary positions throughout his professional career. Vargas also has limited experience at first base and at all three outfield slots.

The switch-hitting Vargas has typically been better from the right side of the dish, but he’s had better luck swinging left-handed in 2025. He’s slashing .270/.329/.421 with 13 of his 15 extra-base hits while facing right-handed pitching in 2025; as a right-handed batter, he’s logged only a .234/.333/.319 output (albeit in a small sample of 54 plate appearances).

Though he can play all over the diamond, Vargas is best deployed as a second baseman or third baseman at this stage of his career. A team looking for some depth at those positions and perhaps more of an emergency option at short or in the outfield could take a look at the journeyman as he explores the market for new opportunities.

The Opener: O’Hoppe, Rays, MLBTR Chat

By Nick Deeds | May 27, 2025 at 8:40am CDT

Here are three things for MLBTR readers to keep an eye out for throughout the day:

1. O’Hoppe being monitored:

The Angels’ loss to the Yankees yesterday ended on a worrying note when catcher Logan O’Hoppe was struck on the helmet with a backswing and departed the game shortly thereafter. As noted by Sam Blum of The Athletic, manager Ron Washington told reporters that O’Hoppe’s removal from the game was precautionary, but that he’s being evaluated further nonetheless. It’s unclear if O’Hoppe is in MLB’s concussion protocol, but if the club has any concerns they’ll surely place him on the 7-day concussion-related injured list.

O’Hoppe, 25, has posted a stout .267/.299/.533 batting line (131 wRC+) this year and is already just six homers shy of his career-high 20. The Angels have just recently rattled off a long enough winning streak to put them back on the periphery of the AL Wild Card conversation, making any potential absence for their slugging backstop all the more concerning.

2. Rays going streaking:

Speaking of winning streaks, it wasn’t long ago that the Rays found themselves near the bottom of the AL standings after going 7-10 throughout the first few weeks of May. They took the final two games of their series against the Astros before sweeping the Blue Jays over the weekend, however, and yesterday they won the first game of their series against the Twins. That six-game win streak was enough to get the club back over .500 for the first time since April 4.

The Rays are still a game back of the final AL Wild Card spot, but the encouraging stretch of play has to be a relief for fans in Tampa after last year’s disappointing 80-82 finish. With righty Taj Bradley (4.61 ERA) set to take the mound opposite Minnesota righty Joe Ryan (2.68 ERA) this afternoon, will the Rays be able to keep the good times rolling?

3. MLBTR chat today:

All of the league’s teams have now completed around one-third of their schedule, but there’s still plenty of baseball left to go and more than two months remaining until the trade deadline on July 31. Whether you’re looking ahead to the deadline or still trying to sort between the contenders and pretenders, MLBTR’s Steve Adams has you covered in a live chat scheduled for 1pm CT today. You can click here to ask a question in advance, join in live once the chat begins, or read the transcript once the chat is complete.

Angels Sign Chris Taylor, Option Kyren Paris

By Darragh McDonald | May 26, 2025 at 11:59pm CDT

4:19PM: The Angels officially announced Taylor’s signing, and Paris’ demotion to Triple-A.

4:00PM: The Angels are going to sign utility player Chris Taylor, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The Halos haven’t officially announced anything but Rosenthal says Taylor will be playing center field tonight when the club squares off against the Yankees, so it seems he’s jumping right onto the roster and into the lineup. The Angels have an open 40-man spot after right-hander Shaun Anderson was recently designated for assignment. Per Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register, outfielder Kyren Paris will be optioned as the corresponding active roster move.

Taylor, 34, spent many years as a useful player for the Dodgers. He bounced all over the diamond, stole bases and was above average at the plate as well. The Dodgers valued those contributions enough to re-sign Taylor ahead of the 2022 season, a four-year, $60MM deal. Unfortunately, Taylor’s production has dropped in recent years, which has cut into his playing time. He has been unable to climb out of his hole while stuck in a part-time gig, so the Dodgers released him just over a week ago.

The Dodgers are still on the hook for what’s left of Taylor’s $13MM salary this year, as well as the $4MM buyout on Taylor’s $12MM 2026 club option. That makes this a buy-low move for the Angels. They will only have to pay Taylor the prorated league minimum for any time he spends on the roster, with that amount subtracted from what the Dodgers pay.

The Halos are presumably hoping that getting Taylor some regular playing time will help him get back on track. From 2017 to 2021, he hit .265/.343/.461 for a 116 wRC+, stealing 50 bases over that span while playing every position except for first base and the battery. But since then, he has a .222/.307/.369 line and 90 wRC+. Last year, he dropped to a .202/.298/.300 line and 74 wRC+. He has fallen even farther so far in 2025, with a .200/.200/.257 line and 23 wRC+.

Taylor’s versatility essentially makes him a more experienced version of Paris, who has seen time as a second baseman, shortstop, center fielder, and left fielder over his three MLB seasons. Paris appeared in 36 games with the Angels over the previous two seasons, but he got a much longer look this year, getting into 43 games while mostly toggling between second base and center field.

It seemed like Paris was cementing his place as a lineup regular when he got off to a hot start, but his bat has drastically cooled off after the season’s first two weeks. Over 140 PA, Paris has struck out a whopping 59 times, and his slash line is down to .190/.266/.381 with six home runs. Some time in the minors might help Paris stabilize things at the plate, and it should be noted that Paris has only 37 career games at the Triple-A level (all in 2024). The Angels continued their habit of aggressive prospect promotions by calling Paris up for his MLB debut in 2023 before Paris had even appeared to Triple-A.

AL East Notes: Kim, Rays, Orioles, Red Sox, Dalbec

By Mark Polishuk | May 26, 2025 at 11:26pm CDT

Ha-Seong Kim began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham today, marking both his first official on-field appearance with the Rays organization and the first minor league game of his four-plus years in North American baseball, as Kim never saw any time in the minors when he was a member of the Padres from 2021-24. Kim underwent shoulder surgery last October, which chilled his free agent market and allowed Tampa to swoop in for a two-year, $29MM guarantee that allows the infielder to opt out after the 2025 campaign.

Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes that Kim and four other injured Rays players (Jonny DeLuca, Jake Mangum, Travis Jankowski, Kevin Kelly) are all scheduled to be activated from the IL over the next few weeks, which might make for a bit of a roster crunch as the Rays figure out how to make room for everyone. Some holes will be created when some current players are optioned to the minors, though Topkin figures the Rays will at least check out the trade market to see if any of their surplus players could potentially draw interest from other teams.

Blue Jays Notes: Garcia, Swanson, Burr, Sandlin, Gimenez, Manoah

By Mark Polishuk | May 26, 2025 at 10:29pm CDT

Yimi Garcia was placed on the Blue Jays’ 15-day injured list on Saturday, as the reliever is dealing with a right shoulder impingement. Manager John Schneider provided some updates on several injured players to reporters (including Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling) today, including the news that Garcia received a cortisone shot in his ailing shoulder and will therefore be shut down from throwing for a few days while the shot takes effect. A more definitive recovery timeline won’t be in place until Garcia starts throwing, Schneider said.

Garcia hasn’t allowed an earned run in 19 of his 21 appearances in 2025, as all of his damage allowed (seven ER) came over back-to-back disastrous outings against the Guardians and Angels on May 3 and 6, respectively. He has a 3.15 ERA and an excellent 28.9% strikeout rate over 20 total innings this season, but his 12% walk rate is far beyond his career norms, and his 23.8% chase rate is well below the league average.

Even with those minor red flags, Garcia was Toronto’s top set-up option behind closer Jeff Hoffman, so losing Garcia for at least 15 days is another tough break for a Blue Jays bullpen that has been missing some key arms for all or most of the 2025 campaign. Erik Swanson has yet to pitch at all this year, due to median nerve entrapment in his right arm that surfaced during Spring Training and then some forearm soreness that interrupted the start of his minor league rehab assignment.

Fortunately, Swanson now looks ready to go, as Schneider said the reliever will get a rehab outing with Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday. Swanson was another pitcher ticketed for a set-up role this season, and he excelled in the position in 2023 and in the second half of the 2024 season, albeit only after an injury-marred first half.

The news isn’t as good for right-hander Ryan Burr, who went in for a check-up with team doctors following his Triple-A rehab appearance on Sunday. Burr is another pitcher still waiting for his 2025 debut since he was dealing with shoulder inflammation in the spring, and Burr’s shoulder was still feeling some discomfort in the wake of Sunday’s outing. More will be known soon if Burr’s soreness was anything serious, or if his rehab may be put on hold.

Nick Sandlin got his Blue Jays tenure off to a nice start when he posted a 2.25 ERA in his first eight innings with the team, before a right lat strain sent him to the 15-day IL back on April 20. With now over a month spent on the sidelines, Sandlin is on the road to recovery, as he threw a bullpen session today at the Jays’ training complex in Florida.

Turning to position players, Andres Gimenez is also down in Florida, and Schneider said Gimenez is aiming to be part of a rehab game on Wednesday. Acquired along with Sandlin in a big offseason trade with the Guardians, Gimenez drastically cooled off after a hot start, and was hitting only .195/.273/.305 over 143 plate appearances before a right quad strain sent him to the 10-day IL earlier this month. Gimenez had been the Jays’ starting second baseman, and Ernie Clement has since moved to the keystone in Gimenez’s absence, bringing Addison Barger into the picture as the regular third baseman.

Alek Manoah also provided reporters with an update on his status during the Blue Jays’ recent visit to Tampa to play the Rays, as Manoah has been rehabbing from his Tommy John surgery at the Jays’ Dunedin complex. Speaking with MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson and other media, Manoah is aiming to be back with the Jays in August, which would mark roughly a 14-month absence since he underwent his TJ procedure in June 2024.

As with any recovery from a UCL surgery, of course, this timeline is still pretty fluid. Manoah is still in the bullpen session phase of his throwing progression (with twice-weekly bullpens of more than 40 pitches), so he has a ways to go before turning to his own minor league rehab work and fully building his arm up for a starter’s workload.

Once the burgeoning ace of Toronto’s rotation, Manoah’s career has been going sideways for the better part of three years. Manoah followed up his excellent 2022 season with a miserable 2023 campaign that saw him lose his command of the strike zone and his spot on the Jays’ big league roster entirely. He seemed to be somewhat back on track when he posted a 3.70 ERA over five starts and 24 1/3 innings in 2024 before the Tommy John procedure put Manoah on the IL.

It is anyone’s guess as to how Manoah may look once he makes his return to the active roster, yet even the 2024 version would be welcomed by a Jays team in need of rotation depth. Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, and Chris Bassitt remain the top three anchors of the pitching staff, but Bowden Francis has struggled, and Max Scherzer’s own injury problems have led to a revolving door of mostly ineffective options in the fifth starter’s role.

MLBTR Chat Transcript

By Mark Polishuk | May 26, 2025 at 9:00pm CDT

Click here to read the transcript of tonight’s live baseball chat

Marlins To Place Derek Hill On 10-Day IL, Promote Victor Mesa Jr.

By Mark Polishuk | May 26, 2025 at 5:30pm CDT

The Marlins are calling up outfielder Victor Mesa Jr., according to reporter Francys Romero. Mesa is already on the 40-man roster, and he’ll take the 26-man roster spot of outfielder Derek Hill, as MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola reports that Hill is being placed on the 10-day injured list due to a left wrist sprain.

This is the second time Hill has hit the IL with a wrist-related injury this season, as another sprain in that same left wrist cost him about four weeks of action from mid-April to mid-May. While these injuries have certainly had some impact on Hill’s production, his .233/.300/.370 slash line over 82 plate appearances is pretty close to his career numbers over 558 PA across parts of the last six Major League seasons.

Known more for his speed and ability to play all three outfield positions, Hill has primarily played center field in Miami since the Marlins claimed him off waivers from the Giants last August. With Hill and Dane Myers now both on the IL, the Fish are thin on center fielders, so Mesa could be in line for a good chunk of playing time as he nears his MLB debut.

The 23-year-old Mesa was a highly-regarded international signing back in 2018, as he landed a $1MM bonus while older brother Victor Victor Mesa received an even heftier $5.25MM bonus. While the elder Mesa brother was considered an elite prospect at the time, Victor Victor hasn’t played in organized baseball since 2023, and the younger (and somewhat less-regarded) Victor Jr. has slowly climbed up the ladder of the Marlins’ farm system.

MLB Pipeline ranks Mesa Jr. 26th on their list of Miami’s top 30 prospects, and Baseball America has him in the final spot in its top-30 Marlins ranking. Mesa is considered to be a solid defensive outfielder capable of playing all three positions, including right field thanks to his above-average throwing arm. Mesa has a career .261/.323/.443 slash line in 379 PA at the Triple-A level, with 14 home runs and 80 strikeouts. Prone to chasing pitches, Mesa has considerably reduced his strikeout rate this season, though he has appeared in just 16 total minor league games in 2025 due to an injury of his own.

Pirates Promote Braxton Ashcraft

By Mark Polishuk | May 26, 2025 at 5:07pm CDT

The Pirates have called right-handed pitching prospect Braxton Ashcraft up to the majors and sent right-hander Isaac Mattson to Triple-A, manager Don Kelly told reporters (including MLB.com’s Alex Stumpf). No further transaction was required since Ashcraft has been on the Bucs’ 40-man roster since November 2023. Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported yesterday that Ashcraft would be traveling with the Pirates on their current road trip to Arizona, though it wasn’t clear if Ashcraft would be officially activated or if he would just be part of the team’s taxi squad.

As it turns out, Ashcraft will indeed get his first taste of Major League action, and he’ll also be operating in a new role. Ashcraft has started 69 of his 71 career games in the minors, but Kelly said that Ashcraft will for now work as a long reliever or bulk pitcher on Pittsburgh’s staff. This would seem to indicate that Mike Burrows will remain as the Pirates’ fifth starter behind the stable top four of Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, Andrew Heaney, and Bailey Falter. Burrows was only just called up within the last week to replace Carmen Mlodzinski, who struggled over nine starts.

Pittsburgh fans may continue to raise eyebrows over the fact that Bubba Chandler has yet to be recalled for his MLB debut, as the Bucs have thus far turned to Burrows (whose lone career big league game came in 2024), plus two other pitchers (Tom Harrington and now Ashcraft) who hadn’t yet appeared in the Show. While Chandler is one of the sport’s best overall prospects, the pitching-rich Pirates seem more willing for now to give looks to some of their other well-regarded young arms.

Ashcraft has been waiting a while for the call to the majors, as he was a second-round pick for the Pirates back in the 2018 draft. Multiple injuries (including a Tommy John surgery in 2021) slowed his progress, and Ashcraft has logged only 283 1/3 innings over parts of six pro seasons. The Bucs still felt confident enough in his potential to add Ashcraft to their 40-man roster in advance of the 2023 Rule 5 Draft, and he went on to post good numbers across two levels in 2024, even with forearm inflammation again limiting his time on the mound.

Over 48 1/3 innings at Triple-A this season, Ashcraft has a 5.03 ERA, though a .361 BABIP has contributed to that inflated number. Ashcraft’s 51.1% grounder rate, 25.6% strikeout rate, and 8.7% walk rate paint a better picture of his performance, even if his control has dipped a bit in comparison to his last couple of post-surgery seasons.

Baseball America ranks the righty as the fourth-best minor leaguer in the Pirates’ farm system, while MLB Pipeline has him seventh on their Bucs top 30 list. Both scouting reports wonder if Ashcraft may be best suited to relief pitching, given both his injury history his lack of a strong or consistent changeup. Ashcraft has a plus fastball in the 95-98mph range, and his slider and curveball are also intriguing enough to make the right-hander a potential three-pitch threat.

Since Pittsburgh’s rotation is fairly full at the moment and Chandler’s debut is looming, Ashcraft’s bullpen role will allow him to get his foot in the door at the MLB level, and perhaps also hint at his eventual future. Obviously the Pirates will still give Ashcraft some looks as a starter down the road before committing one way or the other to his future deployment, and for now, Ashcraft will get the opportunity to help out the Pirates’ inconsistent pen.

Mariners Outright Austin Shenton, Jesse Hahn

By Darragh McDonald | May 26, 2025 at 3:16pm CDT

The Mariners announced that both infielder/outfielder Austin Shenton and right-hander Jesse Hahn have cleared waivers and been sent outright to Triple-A Tacoma. Both players were designated for assignment in separate transactions last week.

Shenton, 27, was the player more likely to be claimed. He is relatively young, can still be optioned for this year and one more, and has decent numbers on the farm. From 2021 to 2024, he stepped to the plate 1,540 times for various minor league clubs. His 27.3% strikeout rate in that time was high but he also drew walks at a strong 14.1% clip and hit 71 home runs. That led to a combined .281/.390/.529 line and 138 wRC+. He also had a decent .214/.340/.405 line in his first 50 big league plate appearances, which came with the Rays last year.

He was flipped to the Mariners going into 2025 and his offense has fallen off this year. Before getting designated for assignment, he posted a .207/.284/.413 line in 169 Triple-A plate appearances. Part of that is a .242 batting average on balls in play but his 29% strikeout rate is high even for him, while his walk rate is down to an uncharacteristically low 8.3%.

Shenton isn’t considered an especially strong defender and isn’t a burner on the basepaths, so he needs to hit to provide value. He has done that through large portions of his minor league career but his dip this year has apparently been enough that no club is willing to give him a 40-man roster spot at the moment. Since this is his first career outright and he has less than three years of big league service time, he doesn’t have the right to elect free agency, so he’ll provide the M’s with some non-roster depth.

As for Hahn, he’s a 35-year-old hurler who hasn’t been a mainstay in the big leagues since 2020. He missed 2022 and 2023 due to a shoulder injury and then was stuck in the minors in 2024. This year, the Mariners have twice selected his contract to serve as an emergency arm. The first time, he made two appearances before being designated for assignment and passed through waivers. He returned on a fresh minor league deal and was selected back to the roster last week, this time getting DFA’d after just one appearance.

Now that he has been passed through waivers again, he has the right to reject this outright assignment and elect free agency, though he could accept it or return to the M’s on a new deal like he did last time.

Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images

Rangers Not Considering Kumar Rocker For Closer Role

By Nick Deeds | May 26, 2025 at 2:20pm CDT

May 26: Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young today denied that Rocker is being considered for a closer role, per Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News. Young said it’s possible Rocker ends up pitching in relief due to various circumstances, though it’s not something the club is targeting. “We see him as an MLB starter in the short- and long-term,” Young said. “Is there a way we need him in some capacity in the bullpen? Perhaps, but that is neither the focus nor the plan. We’ve not talked about it.”

May 25: Rangers brass are contemplating trying hard-throwing youngster Kumar Rocker in the closer role when he returns from the injured list, according to a report from Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Rocker is currently rehabbing from a right shoulder impingement that’s kept him sidelined over the past month, but is already on a rehab assignment and expected to be ready to return in the near future.

Moving a consensus top-50 prospect in the sport to the bullpen despite him having started all eight games of his major league career to this point would be something of a bold move, but it’s also an understandable one to consider for a team badly in need of a spark. The Rangers currently sport a 26-28 record that leaves them on the outside looking in of the AL playoff picture. Much of those struggles have been down to an anemic offense that has struggled to generate runs despite having big name players like Wyatt Langford, Marcus Semien, Corey Seager, and Joc Pederson up and down the lineup.

Perhaps the team that entered play today tied for the third-fewest runs scored in the majors could put themselves in a better position to succeed if their pitching was top-notch; after all, the Rangers are tied with the Royals in terms of runs scored, and Kansas City is currently clinging to the final AL Wild Card spot with a 29-25 record thanks in large part to a team ERA of 3.07, second in baseball behind only the Mets. The Rangers are no slouches when it comes to pitching, themselves, as their team ERA of 3.38 is good for sixth in the majors. Notably, however, much of that prowess has come from a starting rotation that has featured standout performances from veterans Nathan Eovaldi, Jacob deGrom, and Tyler Mahle. Rocker has not been part of that success, as even when healthy he’s pitched to a lackluster 8.10 ERA in five starts this year despite solid peripherals.

The bullpen, on the other hand, is a place where Rocker may be able to make an impact. The Rangers have dealt with a middling bullpen for years, and despite overhauling the unit this offseason that remains the case as they’ve pitched to a 4.20 ERA that’s good for just 19th in the majors. Adding an electric arm like that of Rocker to the mix could help the Rangers hold onto leads late in games, especially with veteran relief ace Chris Martin currently on the shelf due to shoulder fatigue without a clear timeline for his return to action. If Rocker can dominate out of the bullpen by pitching at max-effort and not worrying about trying to go multiple innings, then it’s possible that he could get acclimated to the majors more effectively as a reliever and help the Rangers where they’re most in need of a jolt on the pitching side of things.

While starting a top pitching prospect’s career in the bullpen is unusual, it’s hardly unprecedented. Chris Sale stands as perhaps the most notable example of an ace hurler who began in the major league bullpen before converting back to the rotation later on, but Garrett Crochet, Jeff Samardzija, and Texas’s own C.J. Wilson are among a handful of other notable names. Hurlers have even begun converting from relief to rotation roles later in their career in recent years, with Seth Lugo and Clay Holmes standing out as notable examples from the past few seasons. Of course, this strategy would still come with some risk. There’s no guarantee that Rocker would immediately take to a role change, and even if he did the Rangers would effectively be hollowing out some of their rotation depth by not letting Rocker stay stretched out and using him in shorter bursts.

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